


At Home With Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes

by Poe



Series: when we become who we are [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Acceptance, Actor Steve Rogers, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Beta'd, Coming Out, Discussions of fandom culture at its most toxic, Eddie's partner is a Symbiote but it's not mentioned it's more of an easter egg, Established Relationship, Femme Bucky Barnes, Gen, Interview, Irish Steve Rogers, News Media, Nonbinary Bucky Barnes, Other, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sequel (kind of), Steve and Bucky say: stay home if you can!, Takes place one year after the rest of the series, Writer Bucky Barnes, discussions of transphobia, nonbinary author, they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poe/pseuds/Poe
Summary: "I don't normally do At Home pieces - in fact, I actively despise them. So when my editor pitched me the idea of interviewing Steve Rogers and his partner, I passed. But then my editor made it personal - and told me Steve's partner, Bucky Barnes, is nonbinary. And they wanted to come out." - Eddie Brock(or: an interview with Bucky and Steve about the past year of their relationship, coming out, acceptance, and what the future might hold.)
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote (implied), James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: when we become who we are [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716919
Comments: 30
Kudos: 100





	At Home With Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place a year after the previous fics in this series. You probably need to read the rest for this to make sense.
> 
> Content warnings for discussion of transphobia and discussion of toxic fan culture. 
> 
> Thanks again to my amazing beta @jesuisgrace (AO3) for making sure this all made sense. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

# At Home with Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes

Words: Eddie Brock | Photographs: Peter Parker

_I don't normally do At Home pieces - in fact, I actively despise them. So when my editor pitched me the idea of interviewing Steve Rogers and his partner, I passed. But then my editor made it personal - and told me Steve's partner, Bucky Barnes, is nonbinary. And they wanted to come out.  
  
When I arrive at the apartment, I'm greeted by Steve wearing a loose black top that hangs off his shoulders and clings to his hips (I later find out it belongs to Bucky) and jeans. Bucky is waiting on the couch, looking a little anxious but luminous in a full length dress decorated with pale yellow sunflowers. Their hair is intricately braided, and throughout the interview I notice sunflower pins discretely hidden within the brunette curls.  
  
Steve settles down beside his partner, and after we exchange pleasantries, I begin the interview. Several times throughout it Steve and Bucky will pause to just look at each other, lost in their own private world. They may have been together a year, but they're still utterly lovesick.  
_  
 **Eddie** : So, I have to ask - why now?  
 **Steve** : The easy answer is that we're both in a really good place right now, both professionally and personally, and with that we've started talking a lot more about the future and what that might involve. And I know for Bucky that meant a lot of difficult decisions.  
 **Bucky** : I knew even before entering this relationship that I'd be under a lot of scrutiny, dating Steve. I was a fan of his way before I met him, so I know what that community can be like - and that was daunting. I'd also only been out to myself for two years, and Steve was the first person I'd dated since coming out, so there were a lot of ups and downs to work through. We wanted to be comfortable in our decision, both Steve and myself, but to also be able to control the narrative, if that makes sense, because we both knew it was only a matter of time before I was outed.  
  
 **Eddie** : That must be a scary thought.  
 **Bucky** : It was, for a really long time, until a couple of months ago, when I woke up one morning and I was just so tired - tired of edging away from Steve every time we spotted a camera, tired of not being able to hold his hand in public, damn, tired of not being able to take selfies for fear of someone recognising something of Steve's in the background. That sounds really shallow, ha. But it was all the little things you should be allowed to do in a relationship, and my fear of what might happen was preventing us from enjoying that.  
 **Steve** : I never wanted to hide Bucky away, and it felt awful to do so. But Bucky understood what the online reaction could be far better than I could, and I respected their decision.  
  
 **Eddie** : So you were a fan of Steve's before dating him? Did that make things difficult?  
 **Bucky** : In some ways. I was so scared I wasn't seeing the real Steve, that I'd superimposed _my_ idea of who he was over who he actually is, but that went away pretty quickly, actually. Once you've shared a bed with him after he's eaten garlic for dinner you quickly forget he's anything other than very human.  
 **Steve** : Thanks for that.  
 **Bucky** : I'm just being honest. So he was humanised to me pretty quickly, but there was still that whole 'why the hell did he pick me?' thing. That was a lot harder to deal with.  
 **Steve** : We went over that a lot. I knew the second I first saw Bucky that they were special - we met very briefly in a clothing store, but didn't really get a chance to talk. I've never told Bucky this, but I actually went back there three or four times looking for them.  
 **Bucky** : Really?  
 **Steve** : Yeah. But you found me instead.  
  
 **Eddie** : You met the second time at a convention?  
 **Steve** : Yeah, my first - and only so far. It was an amazing experience, and not just because I got to see the love of my life again.  
 **Bucky** : I was very aware of the power imbalance going on, but Steve never pressured me, and my friend, she's amazing, was there the whole time and helped me deal with the fact that my favourite actor wanted to go for coffee with me. It was a really strange experience.  
  
 **Eddie** : And you're still in Brooklyn, Steve?  
 **Steve** : Yeah, for, well, as long as Brooklyn and Bucky will have me. Though I'm filming in England and France later this year, but Bucky's coming with me. I'm really hoping I'll have time to show them Ireland.  
 **Bucky** : It was never really a discussion we had. Steve just, never left.  
 **Steve** : Never will.  
  
 **Eddie** : Slight change of subject. My partner is utterly confused by the need for gender - they just don't get it. Would you say that's true for you, Bucky?  
 **Bucky** : No - I'd say that was truer for Steve than for me, right?  
 **Steve** : Definitely.  
 **Bucky** : For me it's felt almost like a war, one I'm only just coming home from. It's taken a long time to feel comfortable and confident presenting as femme and getting my head around what that means.  
 **Steve** : Bucky's the bravest person I know - they've always been so open with me about what's going on, and whilst I haven't always been able to understand it, I've tried my best to support them, and it's been a privilege to watch them learn to love themself.  
 **Bucky** : I know love isn't a cure all, but being with Steve, and Steve accepting me without question? That's been so important. And now it feels more like background noise. We used to talk about it every day, but now it's just normal. Just one part of a larger whole.  
  
 **Eddie** : I know when I met my partner, their gender identity wasn't even in the top five weirdest things about them.  
 **Steve** : Exactly, it’s not weird! Everyone expects me to have been really freaked out by it, or for there to have been an adjustment period or something, but I don't get it. I fell for Bucky, not for Bucky's gender.  
 **Bucky** : He's sweet, isn't he? I wish the world was more like that.  
  
 **Eddie** : Is there anything you want to say about that? I know before we started recording, Steve, you said you wanted to make a statement.  
 **Steve** : Yeah, I mean, there's no way to do this other than to be blunt really. I wanted to say - if you come after Bucky, be it with words or actions, if you hurt Bucky in any way, you're not a fan of mine. And if you never were, and you still want to hurt Bucky? I have an excellent security team and an even better lawyer. I've got no patience for bigotry against anyone, especially the person I love.  
 **Bucky** : He practised that in the mirror. It was very moving the first five times or so.  
 **Steve** : It's supposed to be a grand gesture! I'm protecting you!  
 **Bucky** : I appreciate it, I really do. But if they want to hurt me, they'll find a way.  
  
 **Eddie** : You don't think the world is better than that?  
 **Bucky** : We've had some amazing experiences with Steve’s fans, people who have realised what we are to each other and been really kind. So I think it's getting better. And hey, ten, twenty years? Who knows. But right now? If you're trans, you're a target. And if you're dating a trans person, it’s nowhere near the same, but people can still be shitty. I hate that, but it's not a lie.  
 **Steve** : I think people need to take a good look at themselves and decide what side of history they want to be on.  
  
 **Eddie** : I'm not going to argue with you there. But tell me, what do you see for the two of you in those ten or twenty years? Good things?  
 **Bucky** : I want to get a cat. That's a priority right now.  
 **Steve** : It really is - Bucky won't shut up about it. But seriously, I think we want what any couple wants - to be happy, to let life surprise us in good ways, I don't know what to say. I remember lying in bed with Bucky the day after I met them and thinking, 'fuck, I want everything' and that's still true.  
 **Bucky** : He told me that there and then as well. I want the same, to be happy. To be in love and to be loved. Anything else is a bonus.  
  
 **Eddie** : Is there anything else you want to say before we wrap up?  
 **Steve** : Just how damn lucky I am. I'm so thankful every day that I get to wake up and Bucky's there. I never thought I could have this.  
 **Bucky** : That's exactly what I was going to say - that I never thought I could have this. But it turns out, not to jinx anything, I can. And so can anyone who's reading this and feeling really fucking scared of who they might be. I know how hard it is to accept yourself. And it might take a long time. But once you stop fighting it? It's so worth it.  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So today was the day I was supposed to meet Seb in Rome and eat a lot of pasta and ice cream. That's obviously not what's happening now, instead my government is relaxing restrictions which is going to lead to a second wave, so the irony of posting an 'At Home' fic is not lost on me right now. If at all possible, stay safe, stay at home, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. Our leadership has chosen the economy over human lives, which is genuinely scary. Take care.
> 
> This is the last fic I've written in this series FOR NOW because I don't want to get burnt out. I have so many ideas and characters to bring back - Sam, Katie and Lila, and Nat, of course, who was the heart of the first fic. I'm going to be jumping around the timeline a little from now on, I hope that's okay. Any ideas for moments of their lives you'd like to see would be greatly appreciated, just leave a comment or inbox me on tumblr. :)
> 
> You can find me at jbbarnes.tumblr.com or twitter.com/smallreprieves. I'm really not intimidating, so feel free to talk about anything! I want to write a long fic, so prompts are really appreciated right now. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated, and no comment is too short or too silly. 
> 
> Again, take care, these are strange and life-changing times, and all we can do is weather the storm and wait it out. If you're an essential worker, you are amazing. Thank you. xx


End file.
